In a certain school of Buddhism from Zhou Tieyi’s previous life, the world was divided into two realms. However, the theoretical framework for this school only matured in the mid-7th century during the Tang Dynasty. To his knowledge, this theory had yet to be developed within the Buddhist traditions passed down in this world.
The Womb Realm is the manifest; it is the source of all sentient beings' afflictions and desires, yet it is also the origin of every Buddha-nature. It is like the womb of an infant, like a lotus waiting to bloom. The Diamond Realm is the essence; it is the fruit realized by the wisdom of the Buddha, the eternal and unchanging golden nature that remains after all phenomena return to one. It is like the moon in the sky—ever-changing in appearance, yet eternally singular.
To those lacking Buddha-nature, these two realms seem as far apart as heaven and earth, like a mortal on the ground looking up at the moon. But to those who possess it, the two realms are one, mirroring each other, inseparable. When the Buddha preaches in the Diamond Realm, the sentient beings of the Womb Realm can all hear. Once they attain Buddha-nature, they rise from the Womb Realm into the Diamond Realm, crossing the boundaries of the ten directions of the universe in a single step. The moon resides within the lotus, and the fruit of the Buddha resides within the masses.
Chapter 344